Solas 2009 Ro-Pax Vessels Could Have Safety Defects

Solas 2009 Ro-Pax Vessels Could Have Safety Defects

Ships built to the latest SOLAS 2009 standards could have alarming safety deficiencies, according to tests carried out on behalf of the European Union. Stability tests using models of ro-pax vessels have revealed significant safety risks, including the risk of capsizing when damaged. Simulations led by Hamburg-based HSVA on two sizes of ro-pax vessels predicted “too low survivability” if the ships were damaged, even if seas were relatively calm.

“The present investigation of the two ro-pax vessels shows that in the framework of the new probabilistic damage stability rules (SOLAS 2009) for passenger ships built from January 1, 2009, it is possible to create ship designs with significant deficits with regard to safety,” researchers concluded. They continued: “In view of this, it is difficult to come into any other conclusion than the ship stability required by the SOLAS 2009 rules is not likely to be sufficient in all cases. Corrective action should be taken to amend the SOLAS 2009 rules.”

The results are now being verified in another study. One of the academics involved is Dracos Vassalos, professor of maritime safety at Strathclyde University. Prof Vassalos has been briefing Brussels officials on the results of his work, which will not be completed until next year.

In the EU, ships have to be built according to rules stipulated in the Stockholm Agreement, which was in force prior to SOLAS 2009. The Stockholm rules are said to pose no stability problems of the type identified by researchers. There were plans to translate SOLAS 2009 into EU law, although given the studies’ findings, the SOLAS convention will first need to be amended.